Folder Protection for All OneDrive Users

OneDrive’s new Folder protection was previously only available to OneDrive for Business users, but it’s now being made available to all OneDrive users. All you need is a OneDrive account running on Windows 10. And it’s surprisingly easy to set up.

A Microsoft spokesperson told The Verge, “This is a new feature […] available to OneDrive users with personal accounts. It makes it easier to move content into OneDrive, have access to all your important files on all your devices, and keep more files protected with features like ransomware detection & recovery.”

How to Enable OneDrive Folder Protection

To enable the Folder Protection feature for OneDrive in Windows 10, go to the OneDrive Settings, click on Auto Save, and then click Update Folders. Next, select the folders you want to sync with OneDrive, and then click Start Protection.

Your files will now sync, and once the process has finished, you’ll be able to access them from anywhere. Now, if you switch PCs or temporarily use someone else’s computer you can access all of the files stored in your Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folders.

Microsoft Keeps On Improving OneDrive

This is a rather simple, straightforward feature that was probably well overdue. Still, when combined with OneDrive’s Files Restore feature, which is designed to help you recover from a ransomware attack, it makes OneDrive a more compelling prospect.

when they mention this as a protection against ransomware, this is a fraud, since ransomwares modify your files that are synchronized to one-drive (or other clouds), the files on one-drive will be encrypted too. against malware, you need a backup solution that is triggered manually on a device that is mostly not available such as an external hd (first you check your local files, then you plug the external hd, then you do the back-up, then you unplug). yes you are vulnerable during the backup.
if you backup to a nas, set the backup directories to be available only through ftp or nfs, not smb and with a password unknown to windows (but known to the backup software). this requires a bit more settings but way safer.